Maltese professor was link between Russians and Donald Trump's campaign team

A London-based Maltese professor was allegedly the link between the Russian government and the Donald Trump campaign team, according to American media reports.

The case concerns former Trump advisor George Papadopoulos, who was reported to have struck a deal with federal agents investigating the possible influence of Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Identified by the Washington Post as Joseph Mifsud from the London Academy of Diplomacy, the academic is listed in the court documents as the person who told Papadopoulos that the Russians had "dirt" on Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

"They have thousands of emails," the professor is reported to have said well before it was widely understood that Russia had hacked the Democrats.

Mifsud, who once served as personal assistant to then foreign minister Michael Frendo, is believed to have introduced Papadopoulos to a Russian who said he was close to officials at the Russian foreign affairs ministry. Mifsud had once addressed a news conference with Labour leader Joseph Muscat about an initiative to bring more tertiary education pluralism to Malta.

Prosecutors said the contact, identified by the Washington Post as Ivan Timofeev of the Russian International Affairs Council, spoke with Papadopoulos over Skype about laying the groundwork for a meeting between the Trump campaign and officials in Moscow.

Mifsud told the Washington Post that he had "absolutely no contact" with the Russian government.

Papadopoulos had communicated with a "campaign supervisor" about his attempts to broker a meeting with the Russians to discuss ties between the US and Russia, the court papers say. He was even applauded by the supervisor for the work done.

Statement of the Offense - Papadopoulos by The Guardian on Scribd

Papadopoulos was arrested last July and admitted lying to FBI agents at the start of October, which is when he was offered a plea agreement in exchange for information on the matter.